Small Space Solutions: Long Island City Multi-Purpose Living Room

On Saturday's episode of Home by Novogratz, a Long Island City family needed help making the main room of their apartment function as living room, dining room, home office, and kid's play area. It's a problem many of us have experienced, and one of Apartment Therapy's primary directives. How do you squeeze the most function out of a small space in a stylish way? Let's see how Bob and Cortney tackled it.

The design anchor in this room is the Vitsoe shelving. One long wall became home office, tv nook, and hidden toy storage. And the super modern design of the shelves fit just right with the clients' request for sleek, mid-century modern. Cortney chose white to keep the look super clean, and we got to see her work with the Vitsoe consultant, who made the process seem really easy and definitely something to save up for when I'm a grownup someday. (Read more about Vitsoe here and here.)

With half the purposes of the multi-purpose room checked off the To Do list, Bob and Cortney completed the room with a long, low comfy sofa for lounging and a round, vintage dining table for eating. The chairs tuck right up under the table to save space, and the carpenter built a clean-lined cover for the eyesore airconditioner.

I grinned from ear to ear when I saw the daughter's reaction to the her "hidden shelves" and how she explained that there were "quite a few things I like" about the room. If you missed the episode, then this video will definitely make up for your lost ear to ear grin. It's by Jeff Scher, the watercolor artist who created the pieces above the sofa. Enjoy!